AMD Radeon graphics card for “mining” of cryptocurrencies up for order

The recent upswing in the value of so-called “cryptocurrencies” has led to an increase in demand for graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia. For consumers, in some regions it has become almost impossible to get an AMD card, while models from Nvidia have been available – but at higher prices than before.

In an attempt to remedy this, it has been rumored that the manufacturers are working on graphics cards without video outputs, where the markets for gaming and mining would be divided. This is now confirmed by the British retailer OCUK, which has put up several graphics cards from Sapphire for order, most of which have no video outputs. Furthermore, the OCUK representative “Gibbo” says that Nvidia has also released similar cards, but that these are only intended companies.

In AMD’s case, these are four different models based on a slimmed-down version of the Polaris 10 graphics circuit, corresponding to the Radeon RX 470, where the only differences are the amount of memory. Another graphics card is included in the series, an RX 560 based on Polaris 11. Remarkably, this is equipped with a single DVI output.

All cards come with a one-year warranty, and they are also said to have been optimized for mining by adapting the cards for optimal power consumption and performance by adjusting the clock frequencies. Consequently, the manufacturer also guarantees theirs hashrates as well as longevity.

Whether the cards can be used in conjunction with regular graphics cards aimed at gamers is not clear, although “Gibbo” suggests that these could be a cheap alternative to Crossfire or SLI. The description for the cards also states support for the Crossfire technology, with the exception of the Radeon RX 560.

When the graphics cards will arrive in stores is not yet known. Prices are stated at around 250-260 pounds, corresponding to 2,800-2,900 kronor, for the Radeon RX 470 with 4 GB of memory and 290-300 pounds, corresponding to 3,200-3,300 kronor, for the 8 GB variant. The price for the Radeon RX 560 with 4 GB is stated at 170 pounds or around 1,900 kronor.